Utah dog owner seeks answers as questions swirl around mysterious illness
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Jenna Roueche says her 3-year-old toy poodle, Claire, hasn’t been feeling well since a visit to a pet grooming center in August.
Roueche, of Centerville, said she’s taken Claire to nine different veterinarians, tried 11 different medications and spent over $6,000 in medical expenses in the last three months.
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Still, she has not received a clear diagnosis.
“It takes time out of my work schedule to make sure … she has all of her medications,” Roueche said. “It honestly has been exhausting for months now trying to get this treatment.”
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports a mysterious respiratory illness has struck dogs in at least 14 states. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, nasal or eye discharge, and lethargy.
Daniel Christensen, Utah’s state veterinarian, said he first saw the illness in Oregon. Since August, state officials there have documented about 200 cases.
Christensen said Colorado and Idaho are the closest states to Utah reporting the respiratory illness. At this point, he said, Utah has no confirmed cases.
According to Christensen, what separates this mystery illness from other respiratory diseases in dogs is that it’s “more persistent,” and lasts about six to eight weeks.
It’s also difficult to diagnose.
“It’s really hard to say what constitutes a case, because nobody knows yet what exactly is causing this,” Christensen said.
According to the AVMA, a causative agent still hasn’t been identified.
The group noted that respiratory disease is complex and, in general, a relatively common condition in dogs. Most of the time, the animals recover without incident.
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So, how can you protect your pet?
Veterinarians say one of the best precautions to take is to keep your dogs up to date on their vaccines.
The illness has slowed business for Shane Tyler, one of the owners of the Dog Den in North Salt Lake.
The dog boarding and grooming business is taking precautions against the mysterious illness. Specifically, they’ve boosted their cleaning protocol, started taking dogs’ temperatures when they come in, and they stopped using communal water bowls.
Like many dog owners, Tyler wants to know what causes the illness and how best to prevent it.
“That’s the biggest fear for people, in general, is how much is unknown about this,” he said.
For Roueche, she’s taking every precaution she can, waiting and hoping to find a solution for Claire.
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